Call of Duty pro ZooMaa steps down from competing in CDL

New York Subliners SMG star Tommy ‘ZooMaa’ Paparratto has announced that he’s stepping down from competing in professional Call of Duty, just days before the CDL Kickoff Classic brings the league back for the 2021 season.

ZooMaa has a storied career in Call of Duty, and has spent the last year representing his home city of New York under the Subliners, renowned for his no-nonsense yet positive attitude and incredible gameplay.

Arguably one of the best to ever grace the game, the Italian Stallion also represented major organizations such as FaZe Clan throughout his career, winning multiple championships over the years.

Now, on January 19, 2021, ZooMaa has revealed that he will be stepping down from competing in Call of Duty, citing a recurring injury in his thumb and wrist, calling recovering from it “one of the hardest things I ever had to do both physically & mentally.”

In addition, ZooMaa says that “playing through the weakness and pain in my hand just isn’t possible anymore. I don’t enjoy competing when I can’t be the ZooMaa everyone knows and loves.”

• Read More: ZooMaa names his top 3 CDL teams for 2021 season

Known for his fast playstyle and often-successful flanks, ZooMaa’s gameplay and the fanfare he generates speak to the kind of player and person he has become, and his legacy is one that will remain in fans’ hearts and minds for a very long time.

In the Twitlonger posted by ZooMaa, it’s painfully clear how much this is affecting him, and were it not for his injuries we would likely be seeing him taking to the main stage once again this year and annoying every opponent he comes up against.

“It breaks my heart to step away from a game I put my heart and soul into every single day for eight years,” he explained. “Tearing up just writing this, but I don’t know what else to do at this point.”

This doesn’t look like the end for ZooMaa in the CoD scene, however. He says: “I’m not sure what the future holds and will explore all options as I love this game too much to walk away completely. I look at it as one door closing and another one opening.”

Where Tommy goes next remains to be seen, but fingers crossed this isn’t the last we see of him.